


Help me breathe

by VinVictory



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Allura's a doctor, Buff space dad, Hunk is a hunk!, I'm sorry for putting Keith through this mess, Keith has asthma, M/M, Run run run in the park, Tackle football
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-27
Updated: 2016-11-27
Packaged: 2018-09-02 12:29:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,322
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8667739
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VinVictory/pseuds/VinVictory
Summary: Where Lance gets to make Keith play tackle football in the park with his friends, only to find out that Keith has asthma.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This is something that I didn't plan to make, I just kinda went head on but nonetheless, it was fun writting this two dorks. Hope you like it. P.S.-please don't mind my writting to much. I still have a lot to learn. Thank you. :-) :-)

Keith can't believe he's standing in the middle of the park with a bunch of strangers and four acquaintances that are about to play football. And he gets to play too.

Not that he doesn't like sports but there's a reason why he doesn't play too often. Honestly, he doesn't know what that reason is but what he does know is that the thought is just kind of against him.

That's why he curses himself for letting Lance, of all people, get him to play football with his circle of friends where he's totally not a part of.

"We played tackle football last sunday morning and it was fun. You wouldn't believe how far I can throw! It's like the distance of the cell phone up to the satellite and back!!" Lance said through a mouth full of burger while lounging inside a fast food joint.

"That's great. I take that big guy-what's his name? Hunk? I bet he tackled you to the ground and made you look like the pathetic noodle you are." Keith said seated at the booth opposite Lance, flipping through pages of a little book.

Lance scoffs, " Excuse me but I happened to beat the guy's ass! And I am NOT a pathetic noodle! Don't you see these sweet biceps?" He flexes his right arm to prove his point.

"That looks more of a pimple bump than a muscle."

"HOW DARE??!! If that's so, then how come I won two rounds that day?"

"Maybe your friends feel bad about you loosing all the time so they let you win atleast twice."

"Oh my- oh wow, you are such a douche bag. I hate you so, so much."

"Aww, I hate you too, sugar bunch."

Keith felt a satisfied grin tugging at the ends of his lips as he watched Lance's expression change into pure shock -and is that a blush? Is Lance blushing?

"Whatever," Lance mutters as he takes another bite of his burger. Keith puts his attention back to the book he's reading.

"Besides," Lance blurts out and Keith sighs, unhappy of being incapable of reading his book. "I bet I can beat you in a round of tackle football."

He raises an eyebrow, "Really now? And what makes you think of that?"

"Because I'm so awesome and so better than you."

Keith snorts, "Yeah, right. Like you could actually beat me in sports."

"Oh, believe me, I can so totally beat your ass if given the chance."

"Guess we won't know since I'm not giving it to you."

"What's the matter? Afraid to find out that I'm actually right about being better than you?"

"No, it's just that I don't feel like playing. It's actually been a while since I've played sports but that doesn't mean I've gotten bad at it."

"Now, this is exactly you telling me all these excuses cause you're scared of me kicking your ass."

"I'm not scared! And I'm not making up excuses and it's the truth and-what the fuck are you doing right now?!"

Lance got his arms bent at his sides and started cocking his head like chicken would, "Bock-bock-bockak! Look at me, I'm emo Keith and I'm so scared of Lance beating the shit out of me in tackle football! I'm such a chicken!"

Keith's face turns red, "Stop that! You look ridiculous.'

"Well, that's good because you're ridiculous!"

"I swear Lance, I'm gonna kill you!"

"Try killing me in tackle football if you're not too sccaaaaarreedd."

"Fine! I am going to beat you in tackle football! Sonovabish! I'm gonna kick your ass so bad that it's gonna hurt."

"You're on! Sunday, eight in the morning, at the park and don't be late cause me and my friends like to be punctual."

Keith swallows a dry lump in his throat. The thought of playing with people he completely doesn't know about is terrifying. He doesn't know anyone else except for Lance. And knowing Lance, he's afraid of what kind of friends he's hanging out with because, like, Lance is crazy! So his friends must be crazy too.

"Okay," he mutters.

 

And that's how he ends up in the park and is about to play football. He feels like he wants to back out now but that would give Lance the victory he craves for and Keith is definitely not gonna give him that.

"Keith, are you alright?" 

He turns around and saw a tall buff man with a handsome jawline, regarding him with concern.

"I'm fine, uh, what's your name again?"

The tall one chuckles, "Call me Shiro."

"Shiro. . . I'm sorry, I'm not really good with names."

"It's okay. You did, afterall, met three people all at once so I don't blame you."

Keith had been wrong about Lance's friends. They're not like him, they're not like him at all. All of them are so nice to him ever since he arrived. 

There's Hunk, the big guy Lance most often talks about since he's his roommate. He learns that Hunk is a great cook, an intellectual engineer and is just a big cute cinnamon roll. He gets over excited based from Keith's observation.

There's Pidge, the "tech-nerd" in the group as Lance had put it; small in size and short in temper. He can tell so by the way she screams angrily at Lance every time he gets overwhelmingly annoying. She adjusts her oversized glasses from her freckled nose almost every five minutes.

And there's Shiro, the tall lean and buff man with a long scar running across his perfect face. He's got a prostethiic arm in which Keith decides that that's a story for another time. Shiro's the most mature one in the group and is so kind and loving that it's killling Keith.

There are a bunch of other friends that they've invited to add their numbers but Keith doesn't bother knowing them because it gets too uncomfortable for him. He's sure that he won't get to see them again anyway, that's why he focuses on Lance's friends instead.

"Not that they'd want to hang out with me", he mutters under his breath. Shiro throws him an inquisitive look, "Are you sure you're okay? If you find us uncomfortable, you can always sit this one out."

Keith hesitates, then, " No, it's not that you guys aren't comfortable to be with. I totally dig the idea of playing with you guys."

"It's settled then! Keith, Pidge, you're on my team. Hunk and Lance, team up with the others." 

They all fall into position, teams facing each other as the bubble of apprehension settles in the atmosphere. Keith stood behind Shiro and beside Pidge along with the other  
members. He can feel the adrenaline start to kick in as he glare at Lance, who was in position infront of Shiro, mirroring his scowl.

"HIKE!" Shiro shouts and throws the ball at Keith. He fllnches but thanks to his fast reflexes, he was able to dodge quickly out of reach of the other team's member. Keith throws the ball to Pidge ,who immediately scrambles farther from the park's center, and boy, can she run! Her legs blur from how fast she's running. Pidge manages to pass the ball to one of their teammates before she gets tackled down. Their teammate runs across the field and passes the ball back to Shiro before their teammate gets tackled by Hunk. Keith runs towards their base, pushing Lance out of the way in the process, who flops down like a limp noodle shouting " What the fuck, Keith!?"

Keith flails his hands to get Shiro's attention as he stops next to their base. Shiro passes him the ball before getting crushed by numerous numbers of people. Keith catches it and throws it to their base, exclaiming a loud "Touch Down!"

The other team lets out loud groans of defeat, most of it coming from Lance.

"NO FAIR! YOU GUYS CHEATED!" Lance points an accussing finger at Keith's team.

"How did we cheat? We won fair and square and you gotta deal with it". Pidge says with a smug look on her face as she wipes the beads of sweat on her forehead. "Plus, the new guy you brought in is a super big help. Did you see how he dodges all the other members? He even got out of Hunk's reach."

"It's true. I was so surprised that I collided with my other teammate. There's definitely gonna be a bruise on my left arm."

"You did great, Keith," Shiro claps him on the back and Keith stiffens, but relaxes after a few heartbeats. "You should keep playing with us."

Keith flushes at the attention he's getting. Lance folds his arms across his chest and sticks his tongue out. It was that time when Keith realise how hard he's breathing, which was odd for him since he knows he has great endurance and they've only started about five minutes ago. He shrugs it off as Lance demands for another round, saying that this time he wants Shiro to be on his team. Pidge retaliates with that loud voice of hers while Hunk listens to the exchange calmly, sharing glances to the other people he and his friends had invited.

"Up for another round, mullet head?" Lance taunts as Keith continues to pant, hands on his knees. He continues, "I was just warming up! Get ready to get your ass wooped for real this time. That is, if you can still play, chicken!"

Keith grunts, "I'll beat you anyday and anytime McClain! Just wait and see."

Lance frowns and Pidge bites back a grin as they all go back in their positions but this time Shiro is with Lance and Hunk, leaving another member of their team as their quarter back.

Suddenly, Keith's vision starts to fuzz as his chest begins to feel tight. Next thing he knows, he's taking deep breaths of air. He has no idea what's going on so he doesn't protest yet, not wanting to ruin his new found friends' fun.

"HIKE!" Their quarter back yells and everyone springs into action, tackling rival teams, others running all over the place. Keith plays along despite the feeling of lacking air in his lungs. He runs, avoiding the others as he tries to make his way towards their base. He's breathing raggedly now and his vision starts to blur, his head starts to feel light-headed, and he struggles to catch his breath. He feels his body slow down as he runs. Keith stops for a moment, hand on his chest while the other rests at his knee as he tries to get more than quick short air in his system. It's as if he's a grenade and is about to explode.

Suddenly, Lance tackles him down just as a teammate throws the ball for him to catch. The ball flies over their heads as they both fell down, knocking the little air out of Keith's lungs.

"Ew! Mullet head, your sweat is outragous! No wonder I don't see you do sports often." Lance says as he shifts on top of Keith, who's now gasping for air. "Woah, dude. Are you alright?"

Yup, he definitely can't breathe. Alarms are blaring as his chest feels like it's being crushed. Lance being on top of him didn't help. He pushes him off with what's left of his strenght before lurching forward, on hands and knees, clutching the grass underneath him as he gasps for air. 

"Holy shit-dude, what the hell is going on-are you okay? Holy shit, Keith!" Lance looms over him, a hand resting on his upper back as he bends over to see Keith's face but fails to.

"What are you two doing!? You guys are missing the game-what's happening?" Pidge says as she skids to a stop beside Lance.

"I think Keith's having trouble breathing,"

You think?

"Oh my god-Keith?" She falls to her knees as she mirrors Lance's movements, resting a firm hand on his back. "Holy crap! He's losing air. We need to get him to the hospital, NOW! Help me get him on his feet."

Keith feels heavy as they put his arms over their shoulders and lifts him up off the ground. They struggle to balance their weights because Keith is heaving nonstop. 

"Keith, buddy. I'm gonna need you to relax", Lance says in a somewhat calm voice. "I know it's scary but panic isn't gonna make everything better, it makes everything worse. So what I need you to do now is to focus on my voice and just. . ." 

His voice fades when Keith loses his hearing ability for a moment. He gives Lance a small nod, indicating that he knows what he's trying to say but words can't make him breathe any better. He tries to stop heaving and settles in for panting instead. Shiro throws them an inquisitive and a confused look after setting the ball down to their base. Looks like Lance's team won but that doesn't matter right now. Although he can't hear them talk, he's able to know what they're saying just by reading their lips.

"What's going on?" Shiro asks as he and Hunk sprints towards the three. "Is he injured? Lance, what did you do?"

"What!? I didn't do anything! I'm actually helping him right now."

"Can someone please tell me why Keith is so pale? It's kinda freaking me out." Hunk says.

"Shiro," Pidge cuts in. "We need to get him to the hospital." .

"Why? Where is his injury? Is it bad? Is there blood?"

"He's not injured! He's having trouble breathing that's why we need to get him there before it's too late."

He felt Lance's grip tighten around his wrist and waist at the last statement. Keith just thinks it's because he won't have anyone to tease anymore. It's not like he's concerned or anything, right? After all, he has a lot of friends to take Keith's place.

"The nearest hospital is just two blocks away. Get him on my back, I'll take him there." Shiro bends over so they can put Keith on his back and wow, Keith just realise how buff this guy is. 

He can't help it. The thought of a stranger taking him away is just too terrifying for him that he goes back to heaving. Shiro hops a little to adjust his weight and holds both Keith's legs at his sides as he starts to run out of the park.

Oh my-wow, this guy is athletic. Despite all the shit that's happening to him right now, he can't help but be aware of how great of an athlete this guy is. He's running almost as fast as Pidge, weaving through the people on the sidewalk.

What time is it anyway? It's like the whole place is dark  
that it's already night time. His head feels so light and he feels like his consciousness is slipping away and-

"Keith! Don't you dare pass out, we're almost there." 

Atleast his hearing is back, but it's stronger than normal and it makes his head ache. Next thing he knows, his body goes stiff because of the lack of air and he feels as if he's paralyzed. 

They bust through the hospital's doors and immediately bumps to a beautiful woman with long silver hair, wearing a white coat and a stethoscope hangs around her neck.

"Allura! It's an emergency. We need you right now." Shiro blurts as he tries to catch his own breath.

"Shiro? What is it? What's wrong?" Her eyes lands on Keith's limp form and immediately, her eyes widens. "Oh no. He needs an air bag. Follow me."

They lead him through series of hallways, passing people and other doctors, flourescent lights blinding him. Keith feels his lungs wither and his heartbeat dangerously slow down. And for a moment, the whole world seems to lag in its place. They put him down on a chair and rips his shirt off in hope that it can help him breathe better. Allura hands Shiro a rubbing compound that burns his chest when applied onto him. The woman puts a breathing mask on him, occupying his nose and mouth. He immediately gasps for the new air welcoming his lungs for the first time. His chest heavs up and down, eager to catch all of the air while he can. 

"Relax," Allura puts a gentle hand on his back and rubs it soothingly. "Breathe slowly. Inhale. . . exhale."

Keith does just that, focusing at nothing else but his breathing. He tries to slow down. His vision blurs, then darkens until it's pitch black and everything slips away from his fingertips.

 

He wakes up with bright lights flashing before his eyes. It's blinding. He feels a dull ache pound behind his eyes as he realise that he's lying on a hospital bed, a mask hovering at the front of his face. His vision acclimatise in the room's lighting and finally he sees his surroundings for the first time. He witness nothing but white walls and humming machines around him. Something thight has its grip of his hand and he moves to flick it away, only to learn that it was actually a hand. The monitor's beeping increases for a moment as his breathe hitch in surprise.

It's Lance's hand holding his tightly.

Keith doesn't move, afraid of waking the now napping boy whose cheek's pressed against the soft sheets of the bed. He looks almost angelic, now that he's not glaring or scowling at him. Keith gently reaches for Lance's hair with his other hand and runs his fingers through it-and wow, he'd never imagined that his brown locks of hair would be this soft.

Lance lifts his head.

"On a scale from one-to-ten, how dumb are you?" The brunette asks as he blinks the sleep from his eyes.

"I'd still be a twelve in this case, Lance."

"Well, not twelve pounds since you tired Shiro out just by carrying you."

"Yeah, give him a thank you from me, eh? He actually saved my life."

"Uh, I was the one who found you gasping for air."

"After tackling me down? Oh yeah, you really did save my life back there."

Lance sighs as he sits up straight from beside the bed. His grip on Keith's hand tightens. It's almost comforting yet odd for Keith since he doesn't like the idea of physical contact. But this is Lance. He knows Lance, and he knows him. 

But they both didn't know that Keith has asthma.

"Why the hell didn't you tell me?" Lance starts.

"Tell you what?"

He rolls his eyes, "That you have asthma! I feel thousands of guilt on my shoulders for making you play football. I just wanted for you to play with me and my friends."

"It's not like I've known that I have asthma."

"But I bet you had trouble breathing after the first round, right?"

Keith flicks his eyes away from Lance's, feeling like an idiot.

". . .So, I'm correct. Damn Keith, what the fuck? I even tackled you to the ground! . . .I'm sorry for doing this to you."

"It's not your fault! It's mine and I'm sorry. I already felt it but still, I kept going."

"Damn straight you did!"

Keith glares at him. It was at times like this Keith had known that even if Lance teases him a lot and always wants to one-up him, he still sees Keith like he's important, like he's the best person he's ever met. He can see it in his eyes and for that, he felt genuinely happy.

Who needs anyone else when you have this limp noodle by your side?

"You shouldn't keep anything from me, dummy. You gave me a heart attack back there. Promise me?"

Keith gives him a sly smile, "Promise."

"By the way, I told you that I'd beat you in tackle football. We won the second round. In your face, Kogane!"

Keith groans.

**Author's Note:**

> And that's it! :-) please let me know what you think down at the comments below. :-) :-) i'm always open to feedback and suggestions to make my writting better. Thanks for reading! :-)


End file.
